A Special Corps by a P Coleman, 1999
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p 2 A Special Corps the beginnings of Gorkha service with the British A. P. “Jim” Coleman Prepared in electronic format from the original on the instruction of the Estate of A. P. Coleman by R Meigh. All rights reserved © Estate of A. P. Coleman 2010 Downloaded at www.philharding.net/harding ii p 3 Dedication This book has been published through the generosity of Mr and Mrs Ean Ramsay, close friends of the author. Ean Ramsay is the great-great- great-grandson of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony Bart. G.C.B (1758-1825) who, in 1815, first recruited large numbers of Gorkhas and other hillmen into the East India Company's .Bengal Army. In so doing he founded what was to become the British Indian Army's Gurkha Brigade, and, after 1947, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Gorkha units of the Army of India. In 1850, during the Governor- Generalship of Lord Dalhousie, Chief of the Clan Ramsay, the Nasiri Battalion raised by Sir David Ochterlony was brought into the regular Bengal Army as the 66th or Goorka Regiment Ean Ramsay is a greatly respected honorary member of the Regimental Association of the 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) which derived from the Nasiri Battalion. Ean and Lydia Ramsay share Sir David Ochterlony's great admiration for Gorkha soldiers, so much so that they have requested that proceeds from the sale of this book be devoted to the Gurkha Welfare Trust, a most worthy charity to which they have already made generous endowments. Original imprint iii p 4 Contents Dedication ............................................................................................................ iii List of Maps ........................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ......................................................................................................... viii Glossary ................................................................................................................ ix Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. xi Introductory Commendation .................................................................................. xiii Foreword ............................................................................................................... xv Preface ................................................................................................................... xxiv Part 1: The Origins of an Anglo-Gorkha relationship ......................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Prologue ............................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Delhi; protagonists meet, 1803-06 ......................................................... 15 Chapter 3: The North-west Quarter of Hindustan, 1807-12 .................................... 37 Part 2: The war with Nepal ................................................................................................ 52 Chapter 4: The onset of war, 1813-14 .................................................................... 52 Chapter 5: The first campaign, a disastrous beginning; 1814 ................................... 66 Chapter 6: The first campaign, Ochterlony’s success in the far north-west; 1815 ...................................................................................................................... 90 Chapter 7: The second campaign and the treaty of Segauli; 1816 ............................ 107 Part 3: The Bengal Army and its Gorkha Battalions ........................................................... 121 Chapter 8: The formation of the first British Gorkha battalions ............................... 121 Chapter 9: Gorkhas and the changing role of the Bengal Army ............................... 136 Chapter 10: Continuing problems in the recruitment of Gorkhas ............................. 167 Chapter 11: Final Recognition ................................................................................ 180 Epilogue ..................................................................................................... 195 Appendices............. ........................................................................................................... 200 Appendix : Descriptive detail of men engaged in the Affair of the 21st instant with the loss sustained by subsequent desertions (26th February 1815) ................... 200 Appendix : Memo. of Wm. Fraser' questions with Lt. Young's replies and Wm. Fraser's consequent remarks respecting the Irregular Corps ............................ 201 Appendix : Translation of a Convention executed by Lieutenant-Colonel Gardner (...) on one side, and by Bum Sah Choutra, Chamoo Bundaree Kajee, iv p 5 Ungut Sirdar, and Jasmun Dan Thappa, for the Nepaul Government on the other side [27 April 1815] ...................................................................................... 207 Appendix : Memorandum of four propositions offered by Messrs Jaykissen [sic] bearing the seal and signature of General Ochterlony under date the 24th January 1815 .......................................................................................................... 209 Appendix : Letter from Lieutenant Ross to Captain Birch (20 April 1815) .............. 211 Appendix : Convention or Agreement entered into between Kajee Ummer Sing Thappa and Major-General Ochterlony, on the 15th May 1815 ....................... 214 Appendix : The Treaty of Segauli (4 March 1816) and translation of a related engagement. ........................................................................................................... 216 Appendix : Return of Hillmen Natives of Kumaon and Garhwal who were to accompany Soobah Jey Kishen, Plassea, May 26th 1815......................................... 219 Appendix : Sir Henry Fane's return of the strength of the Nepal Army (undated) ............................................................................................................... 221 Bibliography.......... ............................................................................................................ 223 Abbreviations............................................................................................ 231 Index ......................................................................................................... 232 Notes and References ........................................................................................................ 282 v p 6 List of Maps Map 1: The Nepalese Empire and North India c. 1814 ....................................................... xxvii Map 2: Delhi and the North Western theatre of operations ................................................. 16 Map 3: Route of Colonel Ochterlony from Lodeanah down the hill frontier in November 1813. ......................................................................................... 57 Map 4: The Eastern theatre of operations, 1814-1815 ........................................................ 71 Map 5: Route of Ochterlony's main force in 1814-1815 ..................................................... 91 Map 6: Route of Ochterlony's assault on Malaun fort in April 1815 ................................... 99 Map 7: Ochterlony's approach to Makwanpur in 1816 ....................................................... 112 Map 8: Ochterlony's diversion through the Bichakori pass in February 1816 ...................... 114 Map 9: The Punjab and Afghanistan ................................................................................. 169 vi p 7 List of Figures Figure 1: The Khookeri and the Khora ............................................................................... 10 Figure 2: Bhakti Thapa ...................................................................................................... 46 Figure 3: Portraits of Ghoorka chiefs and soldiers, c.1815 ................................................. 67 Figure 4: (a) Malaun fort from near the summit (b) Escarpment near Malaun fort .............. 100 Figure 5: (c) View from Malaun fort towards the Sutlej (d) The Sutlej, and hills above Bilaspur ............................................................................................ 101 Figure 6: Gorkha cantonments below Malaun fort in 1815 ................................................. 139 Figure 7: Gorkha cantonments below Jaithak fort in 1815 .................................................. 140 vii p 8 List of Tables Table 1: The strength of William Fraser's irregular corps .................................................... 78 Table 2: Irregulars who deserted or were discharged ......................................................... 79 Table 3: Strength of William Fraser's reconstituted irregular corps ..................................... 84 Table 4: Men who deserted or were discharged ................................................................. 84 Table 5: The corps of Goorkhas under Lieutenant Frederick Young - the first intakes ........ 85 Table 6: Hearsey's planned corps ....................................................................................... 87 Table 7: Fighting men of the Nasiris and Young's Goorkhas............................................... 129 Table 8: Establishments of the Nasiris and Young's Goorkhas ...........................................